It's Been Awhile
by Tiffany-Angel
Summary: Present Day. The ring has returned, and so has most of the fellowship. A girl, Tiffany, finds out she’s part of this whole mess, and finds love in the process. Some AU. First fanfic. Please R/R.
1. Prolouge

_A true author writes what they know._

            Unknown to most of the modern world, Middle-earth did, in fact, exist. The quest for the ring did happen, as did all that was written of the world before and since. Tolkien, whether it was known to him or not, was writing down not fiction but history. Only, he changed a few minor details.

            While the fellowship did exist, it wasn't exactly as the professor wrote it. Boromir of Gondor never was. In his place had been another elf, the soulmate and fiancé of Legolas to be exact. The hobbits Merry and Sam had been female, as well. And that had been the true fellowship.

            But evil does not rest for long. The two worlds are merging and the fellowship has been reborn and regrouped. But their fate is not yet known. 

Neither was their story.

            Until now...


	2. Chapter 1: A Bit o' Backstory

A/N: This is my first fanfiction, and I'd really appreciate a lot of reviews. Unlike a lot of other first-time writers, I welcome constructive critism with open arms. You can only get better if you know what you need to get better with. So crit away!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Lord of the Rings_, Professor Tolkien owns that. I do own Tiffany, though, so don't go stealing her. And as son as they're introduced, I own her friends (the ones who aren't the reborn fellowship members, at least). Thank you, and don't forget to review!

**Chapter 1**

**"A Bit o' Backstory"**

The entire ordeal had started almost by accident, yet it was obviously destiny. Tiffany had only gone to see the _Lord of the Rings_ movie because an online friend had told her that it was really good.

Sitting in that darkened next to her mother and step-father, Tiffany would have NEVER guessed that she was looking up at the screen that was telling her own story. Never in her wildest dreams, her worst nightmares, would the thought have crossed her mind that she had been on that very quest, helping her Mister Frodo out the whole way. Tiffany had once been Samwise Gamgee, in a past life. But in that theater, she was only Tiffany, the little blonde girl who disliked the character Sam because he seemed almost weak. She didn't start reading the books until a few months later, so she did not yet know how wrong that opinion was.

Tiffany had visited that online friend right before her first year of college, only shortly after _Fellowship of the Ring had been released on video. That one visit had helped Tiffany come out of her self-imposed internet shell completely. Upon her return, she had bee more sure of herself, more self confident, and even a little braver. And also hopelessly hooked on anime._

She started her first year of college not even a month later. A few weeks in, she had went to an anime club meeting, curious and dying to meet new friends. She hit it off immediately with everybody. She was surrounded by geeks, her people! So, when Henry had invited her to join the school's gaming club, she had agreed right away. She went with her new best friend from anime club, Alison.

Her and Allychan (Alison) went every Friday night, playing _Dungeons & Dragons and video games. Tiffany eventually joined the _Vampire: the Masquerade _game that Rachel, a friend from her psychology 101 class, was also in. Tiffany hung out quite often with Rachel and Caleb, Rachel's boyfriend. But watching them together always made Tiffany feel just a little bit bitter, which then only made her feel guilty._

An emptiness had been growing in Tiffany. She was lonely. It didn't help matters any that guys never looked in her in that way. She was the type guys were friends with, but never asked out. Knowing this only served to make Tiffany even more depressed. So, when Rachel's off-campus roommate Dan showed even the tiniest bit of interest, Tiffany sort of fell into it, even though she had no feelings for him. To Tiffany, who had created her own rules of conduct a long time ago, it wasn't because she ended up very nearly sleeping with Dan that made her a slut, it was the fact that she did it even though she had no feelings for him. She became highly depressed, and only her best friend from the internet, Kate, was able to bring her down from her suicidal jaunt. 

She was fine for the next few months, that happening back in December. In February, though, something very bad happened, bad to her at least. Rachel showed up to the _Vampire with Dan in tow, because he had insisted on coming and joining the game. Still fragile, Tiffany nearly had a breakdown, so she joined a _D&D _game with Rachel. That's where she first met the group she would eventually hang out with every Friday night, the group that would end up being like her second family, the group which, it seems she was destined to join, because in it were Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli, and Gandalf. But at that time, it was just another gaming group, just a new group of people. _


End file.
